Bleach: Ichigo and the Puppies
by YenGirl
Summary: When three little puppies fell out of the sky in front of Ichigo, what else could he do but bring them home?


**Author Notes:** Hello again, everyone! It's been ages since I wrote something for Bleach, hasn't it?

Here's a one shot featuring our protective orange haired hero. It's set after the trip to Hueco Mundo so spoilers for the story up until then. Oh, and Ichigo's sisters know about his part time job. This trope has probably been done before, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway :)

**Dedication:** This story is dedicated to **fanofthisfiction** and **MLLu** who are talented writers and wonderfully supportive of their fellow writers.

**Warnings:** AU, almost crack, pure silliness, possible OOC-ness and fluff.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.

\- Story Start -

It was a quiet and peaceful Friday night at the Karakura household. Dinner was over and the three Kurosaki siblings were busy attending to household chores and schoolwork.

Ichigo sat at his desk, finishing up his English essay. Goat Face was at Urahara's shoten, working on some top secret project with the shopkeeper and wouldn't be home til tomorrow noon. It was great news for Ichigo who would be able to sleep in like a normal teenager instead of being rudely ambushed by his own father.

His Shinigami daiko badge started squawking just as he was writing the last sentence. Scrawling the last few words, he tossed down his pen, slammed his book shut and grabbed the badge, pressing it to his chest.

Yuzu came in with his school shirts just as he strode over to the window.

"Is it a Hollow?" She asked.

"Yeah. Be back soon," he called over his shoulder and jumped out his bedroom window.

"Take care, onii-chan!"

\- o -

It wasn't a big deal, just two Hollows in the park chasing after the souls of a young couple. Ichigo dealt with the Hollows and performed soul burials on the couple, hoping they would arrive together in Soul Society.

Seeing as it was a nice night, he decided to go for a walk by the river before heading home. That was when a familiar sound had him looking up at the sky in alarm.

A small garganta was opening up, rectangular edges of black blotting out the stars. Then three small blobs fell out of it, barking and whining.

Wait. _What?_

Ichigo had never met a Hollow who barked or whined. Either way, he started jogging in that direction, zanpakuto loosely held in one fist.

\- o -

Three puppies lay in a thick clump of bushes, limbs awkwardly splayed. They stared up at Ichigo as he stared down at them. A nearby streetlamp provided just enough light for him to see that they looked somewhat winded and weak, but unhurt.

"Hey there," he said. "You're not some sort of doggy Hollow, are you?"

They whined as if in protest. Ichigo couldn't find any bone armour stuck to them so he kept back his zanpakuto.

"Alright, let's get you down from there." He lifted them out of the bushes, one at a time, and set them on the grass. They promptly lay down, limbs still trembling.

"What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

Crouching down, he carefully ran his hands down their little legs. They didn't seem to be injured and he couldn't feel any wounds.

"Hmm. Maybe just skipped a meal or two then?"

They just pressed close to him, tails wagging.

Patting their little heads, Ichigo frowned to himself. He had never come across any creatures in Hueco Mundo who looked like dogs, but didn't have any bone armour on them. Yet he was sure it was these three he had seen falling out of that garganta, and where else could they have come from except that place?

"Well, I can't stay out much longer," he said. "Yuzu will be worried. It doesn't look like it's going to rain and it's not too cold. You three spend the night here, alright? I'll come and check on you in the morning, maybe bring some food."

They whined again and headbutted him. Chuckling, he obliged for a couple more minutes before standing up and dusting off his hands.

"Right. I have to go now. See you tomorrow."

Hardening his heart against three round pairs of puppy eyes, he turned on his heel... only to turn around again when all three puppies started to protest in unison, louder than before.

"I _can't_ take you home," he told them. "We live at a clinic."

Not to mention he had two very softhearted younger sisters who would immediately clamour to keep not one, not two, but all three puppies. He could just imagine what their father would say to _that._

Ichigo would be the only voice of reason, listing down expenses like dog food, vet bills, chew toys and whatnot. In fact, he shouldn't be looking down at them anymore because... drat, did their eyes just get bigger?

And rounder?

And shinier?

And - and -

Groaning at his own capitulation, Ichigo squatted down again.

"Fine. Just one night and that's it, you hear?"

They were in his arms almost before he had finished talking, settling down with happy little woofs as if they belonged there. Rolling his eyes, Ichigo stood up again and headed home.

\- o -

"_Tadaima._"

"_Okaeri_, onii-chan!" Yuzu popped her head out from the kitchen. "I was beginning to worr-"

Ichigo saw the moment she noticed what he carried, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.

"Are those puppies? **_PUPPIES?!_**"

"Shh!"

Too late. Karin appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Did someone say _puppies_?"

Karin flew down the stairs and the next thing Ichigo knew, his arms were empty and both girls were crooning over the bundles of fur they were carrying to the living room. Shaking his head, he went up to his room to switch back to his body.

\- o -

_Half an hour later..._

The three Kurosaki siblings sat on the carpet, each with a puppy in their laps. Karin's had long black fur and deep green eyes. Yuzu's had bright blue fur (was that even a colour that belonged to a dog?) and equally blue eyes. Ichigo's had brown fur and eyes.

He was right about one thing - both the girls were over the moon as they fussed over their charges. Karin was rubbing the black puppy's stomach and its little legs were windmilling in sheer delight. Yuzu was rubbing the blue puppy's ears and its tail was thumping madly on the carpet. Ichigo was also scratching his puppy's ears and not only was its tail thumping, its eyes were half lidded in sheer enjoyment.

"Doesn't mean we can keep them," Ichigo said aloud, as much as a reminder to his sisters as well as himself.

"Why not?" Karin asked at once.

"They're _adorable!_" Yuzu declared. "I'll take care of them!"

"I'll help," Karin added. "You won't have to do a thing, Ichi-nii."

"Except buy dog food. And treats," Yuzu said.

The black puppy's legs stopped moving.

"We'll train them to obey 'Heel' and 'Stay' and 'Sit'," Karin said.

Both the blue and brown puppies' tails stopped wagging.

"We're not keeping them and that's that," Ichigo said firmly. "I'm going to write notices tomorrow morning and put them up in town. You two are gonna help."

Karin and Yuzu both pouted at that, but the three puppies seemed to relax.

Lips quirking in a reluctant grin, Ichigo looked down at them. Then his eyebrows met in a frown.

Did they really come from Hueco Mundo?

He wasn't a canine expert, but not only did each puppy have different colouring, they didn't look like any breed he knew. Yet there was something... eerily familiar about them. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had met them before.

\- o -

_Twenty minutes later..._

Ichigo was just about to suggest that they find a box and an old towel to make up a bed when the puppies started trembling and whining as if in pain, their eyes rolling to the backs of their heads.

"What's happening?" Yuzu cried.

"Are you alright?" Karin asked the black puppy on her lap.

Ichigo's frown deepened, his eyes going from one puppy to another, his hand stilling on a small brown head.

There were three flashes of bright light, followed by three popping sounds. Ichigo had squeezed his eyes shut, but his thighs suddenly felt like they had a dead weight on them. Cracking an eye open, he looked down and yelled in alarm, shoving the figure lying across his lap off of him and jumping to his feet.

"Oof." A somewhat disheveled but very familiar looking figure lay sprawled on the carpet, looking up at him.

"Aizen?!"

Two screams had Ichigo jerking his head up to see Karin and Yuzu scrambling to their feet as well and backing away from another two figures lying there, also dressed in white.

"Grimmjow?! Ulquiorra?!" Ichigo's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Karin, Yuzu, get behind me, quick!"

As they hurried over, he reached inside his jeans pocket, yanked out his badge again and slammed it against his chest, ignoring his sisters' squeaks as his body half fell on them. Then he was confronting their three guests in his Shinigami form, zanpakuto held tightly in both hands and tip pointed straight at them while his sisters remained safely behind him.

"What the hell is going on?!" He barked, feeling like he had suddenly fallen down a rabbit hole.

\- o -

_Ten minutes later..._

"So this is all Syazel Aporro's doing?" Ichigo asked. "That pink haired dude with glasses?"

"Yes. He was experimenting on a transformation spell." Aizen's voice was clipped. Annoyed.

"He said he had completed it," Ulquiorra added in his expressionless voice.

"That liar! I'll gut him when we get back!" Grimmjow snarled.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him. He didn't care to hear deadly threats in his home even if they were meant for someone else.

His uninvited guests were sitting on the carpet and leaning up against the sofa, heads almost lolling, arms limp and long legs stretched out in front of them. The spell had worn off, but it appeared to have gobbled up their reiatsu.

"Put away your zanpakuto, Ichigo," Aizen said, sounding weary. "I can't cast any hypnosis now."

Ichigo wasn't taking any chances. He remained in battle-ready stance, zanpakuto still pointed at Aizen and narrowed eyes darting between the three of them.

"Why did you come to the Living World?" He wanted to know.

Aizen scowled and looked away while Grimmjow snarled something under his breath.

"Well?" Ichigo demanded.

Ulquiorra sighed, tried to lift himself higher and failed.

"One of Syazel's experiments was also a canine. A huge one. It... started chasing us."

Ichigo blinked. Then his eyebrow went up and his lips twitched, a snarky remark forming on the tip of his tongue.

"Oh, you poor things!"

Ichigo frowned over his shoulder.

"They're the enemy, Yuzu," he said shortly. "Fought each of them before."

"But they look like they wouldn't harm a fly," she protested, peeping out from behind him.

"At least not in the state they're in," Karin added, peeping out from his other side.

"Get behind me, you two have no idea how dangerous they are!"

"Thank you, Ichigo," Aizen replied in a dry tone. "As much as I appreciate the compliment, I'm afraid - Karin, is it? - is right. That spell drained our reiatsu almost completely as you can see."

"Right, and I'm old man Yamamoto," Ichigo countered. "You're lying."

Aizen uttered a long suffering sigh.

"To the point of lying here like a limp noodle?" He scoffed. "I think not. And my hair's a mess."

"Well then," Ichigo said in a low voice as he shook his zanpakuto a bit. "Perfect time to run the three of you through, wouldn't you say?"

Two horrified cries sounded behind him.

"Onii-chan, you can't kill them!"

"Ichi-nii, are you serious?"

"Listen to your sisters, Ichigo," Aizen advised, trying to sit up once more. He only succeeded in pushing himself a couple of inches higher.

"Besides, they're puppies," Yuzu said as if their current form was the temporary one.

"Cute puppies," Karin added, although she sounded a bit doubtful.

The three men's eyes widened in shock.

"What?!"

"We are _not_ puppies!"

"We are Espada and Shinigami!"

"But right now, we're too weak to harm anyone," Aizen hastily added.

Karin and Yuzu came out from behind Ichigo, igoring his attempts to shoo them back.

"Please, let us stay here until we get back our-" Aizen broke off when his stomach rumbled, the sound echoed by Grimmjow and then Ulquiorra.

"I'm hungry." Grimmjow gave a huge yawn which showed off his fangs.

"Me too," Ulquiorra admitted.

Yuzu suddenly uttered a soft exclamation and darted off.

"Yuzu?" Ichigo spared half a second to glance after her.

"I'm going to reheat the leftover curry and rice for them!"

"What?!" Ichigo would have clutched at his hair if his hands weren't occupied in gripping the handle of his zanpakuto.

"I don't think they're up to trying anything, Ichi-nii." Karin was looking at Ulquiorra who didn't seem to want to meet her gaze.

"I give you my solemn promise we will not," Aizen said. "Not tonight and not while we remain under your roof."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him, and then at Grimmjow who nodded, and then at Ulquiorra who nodded as well. Slowly, he lowered his sword. His arms were getting tired.

"If you break your promise," he began in warning.

"You'll kick our asses," Aizen said and waved a hand. "Fair enough."

"I'll help Yuzu set the table," Karin offered.

"Ah, thanks, Karin."

The silence went from tense to awkward as Ichigo continued to stare at his unexpected guests until the delicious smell of curry wafted out from the kitchen and Yuzu called out that the food was ready.

Again, Aizen moved to stand up, but his legs wobbled and he subsided again with a grimace.

"Could we perhaps... eat in here? " He suggested, looking hopeful.

Yuzu was already carrying in two plates of curry and rice and Karin the third one.

Seeing Aizen, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's eyes light up, Ichigo just sighed and sat down cross legged on the carpet. He had no idea when was their last meal, but they looked hungry, muttering a quick _'Itadakimas'_ before eating.

"What is this?" Ulquiorra asked after the first mouthful, not even waiting for an answer before eating another.

"So good," Grimmjow muttered in between bites.

"Delicious," Aizen praised.

Yuzu giggled and preened while Karin brought in three mugs of hot chocolate she had made. The siblings sipped their beverage and watched their ravenous guests devour the food.

"Your drink smells good too, " Grinmjow looked up, blue eyes gleaming with interest. His nose twitched.

Karin grinned.

"It's hot chocolate. You can all have some after you've cleared your plates," she promised with the air of a mother bribing her children with a treat if they ate their vegetables.

Ichigo almost choked on his drink.

\- o -

It was close to three in the morning by the time all three guests were recovered enough to stand up without falling over. Ichigo quickly put himself between them and his sisters again.

"I keep my promise, Ichigo," Aizen reminded him and directed a charming smile at Karin and Yuzu. "Thank you for your care and refreshments. We appreciate it more than we can say."

"Yes. Thank you," Ulquiorra echoed, the words sounding foreign on his tongue.

"Yeah," Grimmjow muttered.

Ichigo opened the door with a pointed look and they all filed out into the quiet street outside. Drawing his zanpakuto, Ulquiorra opened a garganta. With a final nod at the Kurosaki siblings, the three men went through and the opening closed.

The houses around them remained dark, none of the occupants aware that the Kurosaki family were still up. Shoulders slumping, Ichigo took a deep breath and let it out, shaking his head.

"Why do these things happen to me?" He muttered.

"Because you're you, Ichi-nii," Karin replied with a grin.

"And because you protect people," Yuzu added, smiling, "and puppies."

"Yeah and look who they turned out to be," Ichigo mumbled and hustled them back inside, locking the door and ushering them upstairs.

"If only we could've kept them," Yuzu sighed.

"Dad would blow a fuse," Karin told her.

"So would I," Ichigo said from behind them.

"You can't trick us, Ichi-nii," Karin said. "I saw the way you were stroking Aizen's head and ears-"

Ichigo's face turned red and he sputtered.

"I was not! And he was _not_ Aizen then! He was just a puppy!"

"I thought he was a Shinigami," Karin said innocently.

"I wonder why Ulquiorra seemed embarrassed after he turned back?" Yuzu wondered.

"Maybe it had something to do with you rubbing his tummy earlier," Karin told her.

"Oh!" Yuzu's face turned as red as Ichigo's. "Then what about you? You were patting Grimmjow, the blue puppy!"

Karin just shrugged.

"I think he looks better as an Espada," she replied and turned to Ichigo. "Don't you think so, Ichi-nii?"

Ichigo scowled and stopped outside his room door.

"No, I don't! And I don't want to hear anymore talk of puppies or Espada, OK?"

"If you say so, onii-chan," Yuzu said with a sunny smile, patting his arm.

"Yup," Karin added and patted his other arm. "Goodnight!"

Ichigo squinted suspiciously at them as they entered their shared bedroom before going into his own.

Half an hour later, he was still awake, head resting on his hands as he stared up at the ceiling. Drat that Syazel Aporro for causing this mess in the first place. Otherwise, Ichigo wouldn't have known how soft Aizen's hair felt under his fingertips right after the spell ended and he changed back.

\- Story End -

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! Please leave a review :)


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